Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers - Research Paper Example

?Vase with Fifteen Flowers Number Assignment Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers Part I.B The title of the artwork is Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers. The name of the artist is Vincent van Gogh. The year of the artwork is 1888. I found it through the Internet resource of Van Gogh Paintings accessible via http://www.vangoghpaintings.net/sunflowers/van-gogh-sunflowers-version-04/. I saw it in the month of March this year. Part II.C The artwork titled Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers has a significant historical background. It is not a masterpiece that came into existence by chance or due to the sheer whimsy of the artist. It is a well though presentation with a clear intellectual intent and vivid content. This painting is a part of the series Sunflowers (or Tournesols in French). It belongs to a set of paintings executed in Arles in August, 1888. In this set of paintings, we can see bouquets of sunflowers (occasionally in combination with orange hued dahlias) in various styles, contours, and positions. Discussing the historical background of this painting more intricately, it cannot be neglected that the series Sunflowers was painted mainly in two parts. According to Stolwijk and Veenenbos, the first part of the series was executed in Paris in 1887. The second part was executed in Arles during 1888. Many of the Sunflowers artworks were sold or auctioned to various art collectors and museums all over the world. But the fourth version, i.e., Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers, did not leave the artist’s estate at least in his lifetime. “Vincent began his series of sunflower paintings to enliven the studio of his Yellow House, but from the beginning they always meant more to him than simple decoration. Vincent hoped that his sunflower series would prompt discussions with his guests about art and illuminate for them the aesthetic experience of painting in the south.” (Mancoff, 66) Historically, Van Gogh was influenced by his dear friend, Gaugin, at certain stages of his painting career. In the late 19th century, many of his artworks were sold or auctioned to the collectors and museums in the countries like Britain and USA through Gaugin. Thanks to the enthusiasts like Gaugin and several other admirers, we can today see Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers at the National Gallery, London. Contextually, Tellegen (42-45) holds that the environment and culture of Paris also had a profound effect on the painter. The simplicity of this artwork is the main attribute to its artistic value. In Van Gogh’s words, as stated by Mancoff (66), the artwork was “a picture all in yellow”. We can note only a few touches of green in the branches and stems and blue bordering lines of the table and the vase. Various shades of yellow color were used in the painting. However, this did not give it a pale look. On the contrary, it became a lively masterpiece. Furthermore, this picture does not belong to any complex genre of paintings. It is simply a still life work. A still life work is that where the painter obtains his idea from the surroundings. Unlike portraits, it may not be an intricate visualization of a real model or subject. Still life paintings may attain high levels of both reality and imagination. In the artwork I am discussing now, it is still not clear enough that whether the painter used some material, model object while painting it or not. In this way, the painting becomes simply intriguing and thought provoking in its genre and time. Part I.D When I looked at this masterpiece, I could see a bunch of sunflowers in a vase. The vase is on a table, seemingly in the front of a plastered wall. The sunflowers in the lower part of the bunch are strangely drooping down. Although two sunflowers at the lowest regions of this floral assortment do not face the spectator directly, they leave a lively impression. Most of the other sunflowers can be seen in a front view orientation. The lines that have been drawn to create the flowers are generally curved in a supple manner. Usage of colors except the varieties of yellow is highly restricted. Ultimately, the coloring scheme culminates at an illuminated appearance with a sun struck texture. Explaining the physical features of the artwork, it should be mentioned that it is an oil painting on a canvas. The dimensions are 92.1 cm X 73 cm. (Van Gogh Paintings) The brush strokes are gentle and do not contradict the conventions of free hand drawing. Forced brush strokes or abstract attributes are virtually absent in the painting. Moreover, “Tiny areas of damage in the overblown flowers” (Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, 240) are discernable. In my humble opinion, this still life painting can be presented in a quasi surrealist context too. Surrealism often has atypical things presented in a very realistic way, with intricate details from out day-to-day perceptions. Although critics classify this painting as a still life masterpiece, I feel that the detailed presentation of the subject coupled with the overly usage of yellow shades gives rise to a surrealistic impression as well. Part I.E I choose this artwork because the opinions of most of the art critics regarding it describe it as a simple still life image. However, when I saw it, the excessive use of yellow struck me with wonder. These yellow shades provided the artwork with a sort of natural illumination instead of artificial paleness. Moreover, the detailed presentation of the flowers made the picture lively all the more. This meant the lines and curves had been drawn with utmost attention, patience, and expertise. My four-panel artwork can be based on this highly adorable masterpiece. The story of my artwork begins when I suddenly come across the Internet web page showing this innocent but glamorous picture. After an initial wave of astonishment, I looked for the material, or rather physical description of the painting. The painting is rather standard or medium in size and it is an oil-canvas presentation. This inspires me as to think how can I restructure my own ideas in presenting the nature in a simpler yet highly meaningful manner? No doubt, a well-thought painting can be highly thought provoking. In the wake of this summer, I am thus planning to develop my own work on the basis of conventional materials like brush, oil color, and canvas. Further, the way Gogh has used his love for nature and sunlight; I would choose some natural topic and visualize it from a detailed day-to-day and down to earth viewpoint. Word Count: 1075 words Works Cited Mancoff, Debran. Van Gogh's Flowers. London: Frances and Lincoln, 2008. Print. Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh Museum Journal. Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum, 2001. Print. Stolwijk, Chris and Han Veenbos. The Account Book of Theo van Gogh and Jo van Gogh-Bonger. Leiden: Amsterdam & Primavera Press, 2002. Print. Tellegen, Annet. "Vincent en Gauguin: schilderijenruil in Paris." Museumjournaal 11 (1966): 42-45. Print. Van Gogh Paintings. Sunflowers Van Gogh: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers - Version 04 - Vincent van Gogh Paintings. 2012. Web. 20 March 2012 . Read More